Lance Smith: Editorial 3-30-13

Public Service announcement: Lost art of social skill.

Have you have ever received an invitation to a party or event and the letters “R.S.V.P.” were written on the invitation somewhere? More than likely you have, especially for a party where food/drink were served or the host needed a head count for reservations.

In other words, the person sending you the invitation would like for you to respond and tell them whether you are coming or not. More specifically, they want to know if you accept or decline the invitation so they can plan accordingly.

Either way, if you plan to go or not go, it is considered very thoughtful and courteous to let the host know by “RSVP”ing. And, the earlier you R.S.V.P. the better! It gives the host more time to plan accordingly and they will admire how thoughtful you are.

Research has indicated that people who don’t “R.S.V.P.” have seen a huge decline in the number of invitations they are now receiving.